Routine stagnates the soul. Travel inspires the Soul

My own farm, 12 foot barrels, and an empty skate park.

This is the farm that I have started taking care of after the hurricane. What you are looking at is the outdoor kitchen. There used to be a pallapa above the table in the center of the photo. The storm blew it down. That is what those posts in the foreground are from.

This panoramic shot was taken from up on the hill that is above the farm. The farm is in the lower right quarter of the photo. They grow coconut, papaya, and lime trees on the property, and the rest is not planted. The growing season is starting right now here. From this photo you can see how close it is to the ocean. On this particular day I could here the waves exploding on the beach all night, and from the hilltop I could see glassy barrels down on the beach. I decided to grab my board and go check it out.

When I got there my friends Carlos and Tacho were already out, and it was big. They were the first ones out that morning. This spot reminds me of the north shore of Oahu, only with no one there. Here is Carlos paddling alone out into the lineup.

1. This is a sequence from the first wave he dropped into. The waves here are top to bottom so you usually need to make an airdrop if you want to catch the wave. Carlos makes the drop into this 12 foot tube.

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1. Tacho takes the prize for biggest wave of the day dropping into this bomb.

2. This wave looks to me like something from Tahiti.

1. Here is another sequence of Carlos on a huge wave.

2. I have a lot of shots of Carlos getting barreled, but those are not the most interesting photos because all you see is the wave. You cannot see the surfer, so you have no way of judging the size of the wave, or even if there is a surfer in it. In this photo you can just see the tip of his board.

3. After getting barreled he launches into a huge air.

4. What an epic wave. He drops into a huge top to bottom wave, gets barreled, and the launches into a huge 360 air. Any one of those things would be an all time best for me, and Carlos is doing this every day.

After surfing we go to the skate park to eat some carne asada, have a beer, and check out the photos of the days surf. The park is huge. I have never seen a park this size.

Here Manuel is dropping into the 12 foot bowl. There is an extra 4 feet of drop around the corner.

Here he is getting vertical in the 360 bowl. So in conclusion, if you want to surf 12 foot barrels by yourself, or would like to skate the largest park I have ever seen by yourself, all you have to do is find your way to this secret spot.